CNN News Show Features Million-Pound Meat Recall

Recently, CNN featured a story on its OutFront weeknight news show about Rancho Feeding Corp. and its massive meat recall that occurred this year. According to CNN, the North California-based operation was processing tainted meat when federal investigators were absent, and workers used tactics such as shaving off cancerous sections of cows, implementing counterfeit stamps of approval, and even switching cows’ heads, to evade investigators and unlawfully get their product to retailers. To add to the scandal, an email obtained by CNN reveals that one US Department of Agriculture investigator working at Rancho was having an affair with a company foreman—an infringement of USDA rules. An investigation eventually led to the USDA to find that Rancho, “processed diseased and unsound animals and carried out these activities without the benefit or full benefit of federal inspection,” and a recall of 9 million pounds of meat was issued.